Grimrail Depot

Content

Lore

The Grimrail Depot is a vital hub in the Iron Horde war machine, allowing for the transport of troops and materiel produced in the Blackrock Foundry to the front lines of the war being waged across Draenor. The Depot’s namesake is the Grimrail itself, a massive train that can bear entire battalions of troops and artillery. On this day, the Grimrail has been fitted with a massive railgun powerful enough to shatter the shield protecting Shattrath, and is about do depart…

Map

Trash up to Rocketspark & Borka

Grimrail Technician – 50,000 Volts, Activating

Grimrail Overseer – Dash (random charge), Hewing Swipe (frontal cone)

Grimrail Laborer

Techinicians are the ones you really need to look out for here. Their 50,000 Volts ability is a Lightning Chain-esque ability which also stuns. Technicians will also try to activate nearby Iron Stars. Interrupt their “Activating” ability, otherwise an Iron Star will explode in the group and cause heavy damage.

Rocketspark & Borka

Railmaster Pauli Rocketspark, chief foreman of the Grimrail Depot, has been enlisted by Garrosh Hellscream to build techonology required for the Iron Horde’s infrastructure. Given the dim-witted assistant Borka to do the heavy lifting, Rocketspark set about building the Grimrail.

List of Abilities

Railmaster Rocketspark

VX18-B Target EliminatorLaunches missiles at up to 5 enemy targets. Each missile inflicts 80,000 Fire damage to all targets within 3 yards of the impact.

X21-01A Missile BarrageFires volleys of missiles inflicting 6,800 Fire damage to two targets every 1 second for 1 min.

Locking On! (Important!)Railmaster Rocketspark locks on to the players, increasing his damage done by 10% every 1 sec. until he can be interrupted.

Unmanaged AgressionBorka the Brute slips into an uncontrolled blood craze when Pauli Rocketspark is slain, increasing both his damage done by 100% and his attack speed by 50%.

Healing Strategy

The first fight in Grimrail Depot consists of the goblin Rocketspark and his orc assistant Borka. The goal of the encounter is to kill them at the same time, since if one of them dies the other will enrage.

Rocketspark will jump up on the boxes and be out of Line of Sight from everyone, while shooting the party with Target Eliminator and Rocket Barrage. Borka will stay grounded and will do Mad Dash and Slam, which interrupts all casting.

The only way to be able to DPS Rocketspark is to make Borka do his Mad Dash right into the boxes which Rocketspark stand on. Mad Dash has an arrow indicator to show which way he will run, and the tank has to direct him to Rocketspark to dismount him from the boxes. Once Rocketspark is on the ground, he should be prioritized.

Target Eliminator – Run!

Rocketspark’s ability Target Eliminator will do high damage, but can be avoided. Everyone in the party will get a hunter’s mark above their head to indicate that the ability is incoming. If you are quick enough, you can run away before it hits you. I also recommend using Glyph of Soothing Mist, which makes this fight endlessly easier if you can move faster. Note that Target Eliminator is often followed by a Slam (interrupts and silences you if you are casting)!

The Rocket Barrage does high party damage and can’t be avoided. Everyone should pop personal cooldowns during its effect. The damage is Fire damage (a magical school) which can be mitigated by Diffuse Magic. Fortifying Brew is also good to use!

Since the fight is movement heavy, try to heal up everyone when you get the chance so they won’t die while you’re dodging abilities. Be prepared for deadly and spikey damage on players who doesn’t avoid Target Eliminator or stand in the way for Borka’s Mad Dash. The tank will also take quite heavy damage during the fight.

If one of the bosses is killed before the other, be ready for very heavy damage when the remaining boss enrages!

Serpent Tactics

Avoid Target Eliminator (indicated by a hunter’s mark).

Avoid Borka’s Mad Dash.

Don’t cast during Slam, otherwise you’ll get silenced.

Use Fortifying Brew or Diffuse Magic during Rocket Barrage.

Crane Tactics (optional)

Try to kill Borka and Rocketspark at the same time! The other enrages if one of them dies.

As you go up the ramps after the first boss, you’ll meet Bombardiers on the thin ledges. These will cast bombs on players, which will be indicated by a yellowy circle. Try to step away from these since they can do quite a lot of damage.

In the train carriages you’ll meet several different mobs. The most dangerous abilities are Cannon Barrage by the Boomer, which does immense damage in a frontal cone. Shrapnel Blast is also a deadly ability by the Gunners (also a frontal cone), which is a common cause for a wipe in many parties, unless the tank face the mob away properly. Try to be aware of which way the Gunners are facing!

Shrapnel Blast

Cinderseers will cast fire all over the ground. Their most annoying ability however, is Lava Wrath. This ability is a silence, and causes a debuff that makes the affected player do damage to other nearby players. The ability is cancelled if the pulse doesn’t hit anyone, so get rid of it by spreading!

Nitrogg Thundertower

With a zeal for flame and explosives, Nitrogg was a natural fit in the mechanized and weaponized army that Garrosh’s plans brought to Draenor, and he has risen quickly through the Iron Horde. He oversees the artillery on the Grimrail, and is eager to break through the defences around Shattrath and conqueror the enemies of the Iron Horde within.

List of Abilities

Nitrogg Thundertower

Blackrock MortarThrows a series of Blackrock Mortar shells towards a target’s location, inflicting Fire damage to enemies within 4 yards of the impact.

Blackrock GrenadeThrows a Blackrock Grenade at a target, inflicting Fire damage to enemies within 3 yards.

Slag Blast (Heroic)Fires a concentrated salvo of molten slag at a targeted location, engulfing the area in flames. These flames increase Fire damage taken by 30% and inflict 2,000 Fire damage every second for 6 sec. This effect stacks.

Blackrock Munitions

Defeated Blackrock weapons specialists will leave behind munitions, which players may picked up and use against Nitrogg and his soldiers.

Blackrock ShrapnelCarrying Shrapnel, allowing the use of a Blackrock Turret’s Shrapnel Cannon ability.

Shrapnel CannonBlasts enemies in a frontal cone, inflicting 75,000 Fire damage every second to nearby enemies.

Grom’kar Boomer

Grom’kar Grenadier

Defeated Grom’kar Grenadier will drop Blackrock Grenades.

Blackrock GrenadeThrows a grenade at a target’s location, inflicting Fire damage to enemies within 3 yards.

Healing Strategy

This fight is mostly and add fight, while Nitrogg is sitting in his cannon and blasts away at the party. The setup of the fight is to kill the incoming adds, loot their ammunition and use them on the boss (or the adds, depending on which ammunition).

You start by engaging the boss directly. Nitrogg has two abilities; Blackrock Mortar and Blackrock Grenade. Both abilities can be avoided, but if you’re short of space it requires some coordination. Luckily, Nitrogg will run away to his Assault Cannon very quickly into the fight. The walls of the train carriage will also fold down, giving you some more room to move and nice view of the scenery. Just don’t jump down, you’ll die instantly.

Hiding from Suppresive Fire

When Nitrogg sits in his cannon, he has two abilits: Suppressive Fire and Slag Blast. The Suppresive Fire targets a random player and shoots ferociously at it. The targeted player has to hide behind a pillar or a large crates to avoid the ability. Preferably not too close to the party, which might take a hit or two if they aren’t paying attention.

The second ability, Slag Blast, will cover one of four sections of the carriage in fire. If you’re standing in one of these sections, you have to move or you’ll quickly run out of a safe zone to stand in. Always switch to another zone when Slag Blast hits your current zone (just don’t run up directly to the boss!).

There will be four adds who spawn. Iron Infantries are very uninteresting and has low priority, but the Grom’kar Gunner, Grom’kar Boomer and Grom’kar Grenadier are very important. When these die, you can loot their ammunitions: Blackrock Shrapnel, Blackrock Mortar and Blackrock Grenade respectively.

If you loot Blackrock Shrapnel from a Gunner, you can jump into the Cannon (there are several cannons placed at the sides of the cart) and use the first button ability: Shrapnel Cannon. This is a short ranged ability which will mostly be used to kill the adds, since it can’t reach the boss.

The Blackrock Mortar you loot from a Boomer also unlock one of the Cannon abilities. This time, the second button, which is Homing Shell ability. This is a long ranged attack which does immense damage. This is the one you use on Nitrogg’s Assault Cannon to eventually dismount him from it. It will take somewhere about four Homing Shells before Nitrogg will start to engage you directly again.

If you loot a Blackrock Grenade from a Grenadier, you get a live action button. This will able you to throw grenades at targeted destinations. It will mostly be used on the adds, but it’s possible to use it one the boss, though it does minimal damage on his Assault Cannon. It’s better to save it for the adds so the party doesn’t get overwhelmed.

Slag Blast fire

This fight can be very hard to heal, depending on how aware your party members are of their position. It can easily happen that they run off to hide from Suppressive Fire and then get a spawning add on their tail, while being out of your line of sight the whole time. The party will also do most of the fighting close to one of the cannons, which means you must enter the wind zone to get them in line of sight. The wind will constantly push you back which means you have to correct your position accordingly. And do note, if you get hit by Blackrock Grenade you’ll also be silenced. It has a short radius, so try to stay slightly spread.

Since you will not have your party members in line of sight, you might have to run and find them to heal them. Give them some quick heals and an Enveloping Mist, until you have to hide from Suppressive Fire, get out of Slag Blast or kite some adds to the tank. Transendence is also a good ability to use in this fight since it works even if your spirit is out of line of sight. It’ll give you an easy escape route.

Serpent Tactics

Avoid Slag Blast fire zones.

Blackrock Grenades from adds silence you! It has a short radius though so stay slightly spread.

If you get Suppressive Fire, hide behind a pillar or a large crate.

Pay attention to where your party members are at so you can quickly run up and heal them if they stay out of line of sight.

The Far Seers will cover the ground in lightning, which is very harmful to stand in. They will also shield themselves for 10 sec and if they are attacked when they have the shield up, you and several allies will get hit by lightning.

The Scouts will do Arcane Blitz which is a short-lived ground effect which explodes. It looks like purple swirls, which you should of course avoid. The Captain is a little more dangerous. She does “Reckless Slash” which is an AoE with 7yd radius from her position. In short, the melee and tank will take a lot of damage if they don’t try to run away from this ability.

Skylord Tovra

Before the Iron Horde, Tovra had never ventured beyond the frigid tundra of Frostfire, where she led groups of Thunderlord trackers to snare and capture the fiercest rylaks on Draenor. Her mastery of rylaks has made Tovra an invaluable asset, and she now commands the aerial forces of the Iron Horde.

List of Abilities

Freezing SnareThrows a Frost Trap on the ground, which when tripped, inflicts 35,000 Frost damage and roots all enemies within 6 yards for 6 sec.

Rakun

Diffused EnergyForms a pool of viscous electricity on the ground, periodically inflicting Nature damage to targets who remain in the pool.

Healing Strategy

The encounter against Skylord Tovra is a simple one, but can be difficult if you lack dps. You will fight her on a limited amount of space while her rylak mount Rakun covers the platform in Diffused Energy.

The tank will have to tank her at one end of the platform while the ranged stack in another position. Rakun will always target players and place its Thunderous Breath at their location, which means you have some control of where to place the Diffused Energy. But if you don’t kill Tovra quickly enough, you’ll start to run out place to stand on.

Skylord Tovra will also cast out Freezing Snares on random players, which cause damage and a root effect. If you trample one of the traps, you might have to use Nimble Brew to free yourself from the snare, especially if you’re standing in Diffused Energy.

Freezing Snare to left – Diffused Energy to the right

She will also frequently cast Spinning Spear, which will travel in a straight line until it hits an enemy. If you see her cast this ability in your direction you have to move out of the way. If you get hit, you’ll take damage and be knocked down for a short while.

If you get a Hunter’s Mark on you, it means that Tovra will cast an Explosive Spear at your location. You can avoid this by keep moving, preferably not towards other players who can also get hit by the ability.

The fight will get very healing intensive if Skylord Tovra isn’t killed quickly enough. More and more of the ground will be covered in electricity and people will eventually have to move through it to get to a safe zone. Monks can use Diffused Magic to mitigate the damage Diffused Energy does, if you are forced to move through it.

Serpent Tactics

Avoid standing in Diffused Energy.

If you have to move through it, pop Diffused Magic or Fortifying Brew.

Don’t trample in Freezing Snares.

If you do, you can get rid of the root effect with Nimble Brew.

Avoid being in Spinning Spear’s path.

Move if you get a Hunter’s Mark above you, until the Explosive Spear hits.

Party will take spikey damage if they aren’t paying attention and get hit by the various abilities.

Crane Tactics (optional)

Crane stance is viable for this fight if you have predominantly melees in your group.

Switch back to Serpent stance if people are taking too much damage by the abilities.